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Reunited from the family they were stolen from

Recently the Irish Red Cross in partnership with UNHCR and IOM Ireland helped reunite two young brothers through our Family Reunification Travel Assistance Programme. The Irish Red Cross is part of an international network which traces separated relatives, restores contact and reunites families. This free service, known as Restoring Family Links (RFL), is co-ordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The Irish Red Cross has been working with two young brothers separated from their family when they were taken as child soldiers but managed to escape their captors. Their father left his wife and children to look for them and went missing himself. The brothers, now in Ireland, approached the Irish Red Cross for help finding their family unaware that their father was looking for them. Their mother and siblings were located and the brothers spoke to their mother by phone.

They applied for Family Reunification permission to bring their mother and siblings to Ireland.

On a cold day in May 2017 the brothers were finally reunited with their Mother and siblings after more than five years apart. Their father had been reunited with the family before his wife and children left for Ireland and the brothers are now waiting for permission for him to join them here.

The Irish Red Cross would like to thank the Kanyamuhanga family for allowing us to share their story. Thank you also to TUSLA and our IRC volunteers for their support and lastly to UNHCR and IOM Ireland for their partnership.